Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture

Designing with Phenology: Tree Canopy Dynamics and Its Effects on Solar Exposure for a Residential Building

Trees and other vegetal materials are an integral component in urban or suburban environment,
particularly in the residential landscape. In the literature, there are numerous studies on the roles
that street trees and/or residential gardens play in shaping neighbourhood character, enhancing property
value, mitigating urban heat island effect, and improving carbon sequestration of terrestrial ecosystems.
However, these studies are mostly in a general sense and at relatively coarse spatial and temporal scales.
In this study, spatially explicit models are developed to simulate the effects of tree phenology and the
associated tree canopy dynamics on regulating solar exposure and natural thermal comfort in a typical
residential building in Melbourne, Australia. Tree canopy dynamics are investigated and applied to simulate
seasonal solar exposure and indoor temperature variations in a parametric environment. The outcomes
from this study can be used to guide landscape planting design aiming at not only providing
conventional ecosystem services but also reducing household energy consumption for heating and cooling,
which will have enormous implications in landscape design in an era of climate change.